Life Apart
by MtnRon
Summary: What if Ron's family moved away?  How would Ron take it?


Prologue:

Kim and Ron were embracing tightly, neither wanting to let go. Even Rufus sitting on Ron's shoulder held onto Kim's shirt with his front paws like his life depended on it. Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable had just hugged Kim goodbye and got into the moving truck, so Ron and Kim could have a moment alone. Mrs. Stoppable had been offered an exciting new opportunity from a competitor. Unfortunately, it involved moving the family almost 3000 miles away to Boston. Mr. Stoppable was an actuary and could work from anywhere.

The Stoppable's had moved to Middleton when Ron was 3 from the Philadelphia when Mrs. Stoppable got the job offer in Middleton. Most of their family was out East. For Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable moving back East, closer to the rest of the family was something they were looking forward to. However, they knew how close Kim and Ron were and they knew Ron would not welcome the move. They talked about it as a family and Ron pleaded and pleaded for his parents not to move. In the end, for the family it was the best decision to move back East.

Ron went on a hunger strike but after one day, the aroma of the Nacos proved too much and Ron gave in. His parents knew him all too well. The Stoppable's would fly Kim out for a month in the summer to stay with them and Ron could spend a month back in Middleton with the Possible's. Ron could still go on missions as long as it didn't impact his school work or make him miss school. Ron would have his own phone line with unlimited long distance as well as his Ronnunicator to keep in touch with Kim.

Mr. Stoppable had been hollering for Ron it was time to go but Ron didn't hear it. Mrs. Stoppable gently put her hand on Ron's shoulder, "Honey, it's time to get going." Ron closed his eyes and pulled Kim even closer. He reluctantly let go and they both looked at each other and tried to smile but were failing. Both their eyes were moist, fighting to hold back the tears.

"Bye KP….I…." Ron couldn't get the words out.

"Bye Ron, I know. You can always call me or beep me…you know if you want to reach me."

Ron nodded. He looked down at his Ronnunicator which he clutched tightly like his life depended on it. He looked back at Kim and tried his best to smile. He turned and slowly walked to the Moving Truck with his head toward the ground. After getting on the Moving Van, he lowered the window and waved goodbye. Rufus was standing on the door hand rest and waved goodbye too. Mrs. Stoppable reached out and put her hand on her son's shoulder trying to comfort him. Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable just looked at each other and sighed seeing the look of utter sadness and despair on their son's face. Kim waved back and stood still watching as Mr. Stoppable put the truck in gear and drove away. A feeling of sadness and emptiness swept across her as she watched the truck fade into the distance. When the truck was no longer visible on the other side of the hill, Kim closed her eyes and tilted her head down whispering "Goodbye Ron."

* * *

"Ron, it's time to grow up, we aren't in pre-k anymore."

"And what if I don't want to?"

Kim sighed. "Ron, I know this whole situation is very difficult for you. It has been for me too. But you have got to stop fighting it every step of the way and try to make the best of it."

"KP, I am trying to make the best of it."

"Ron, you're making things worse. You can't keep acting like you still live down the street."

"Why not?"

Kim sighed again. As of late they have been arguing frequently. Ron did absolutely everything in his power to pretend like he never left. He had asked Wade to beep them for any sitch, no matter how petty it was. Kim had to put a stop to that immediately. The kimmunicator was going off all the time with Ron wanting to know every little detail of what was going on in Kim's life as well as talking Kim's ear off about what he was doing.

In truth Ron was secluding himself from his surroundings. Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable were getting concerned about his anti-social behavior. Ron was never a super social person but he and Kim would go out and do things normal teenagers did. They tried to get him to go out and do stuff with local teenagers his age but he kept declining saying he'd rather talk to Kim. The Stoppable's were also concerned about Ron's falling grades. Ron was never a good student but he was never in any real danger of failing a class. He was risking failing some of his classes this semester.

The agreement Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable had with Ron was that he could still go on missions as long as it didn't interfere with school. With Ron pushing to go on any and every mission so he could spend time with Kim was not helping. Back in Middleton, Kim helped Ron with his studies which now was a lot more difficult. They shared many of the same classes so Kim would make Ron work on homework coming to and from missions. If they ever had to miss class, Kim would make sure Ron would get the material they missed and he did the assigned homework. Now they went to different schools and Kim couldn't do that anymore. As a result, Ron's grades suffered.

The Stoppable's concerned with Ron's grade put a halt on all missions until he got his grades back up. Ron had just been ranting to Kim about not being able to go on missions. Kim had been missing Ron more than she thought she would. Initially she liked the attention she was getting from Ron but now it was spiraling out of control. With cheer practice, all the clubs she was a part of and maintaining her high GPA, Kim's days were packed. When Ron lived in Middleton since they saw each other every day, it was still easy sharing with each other what was going on. She spent more time with Monique hanging out at the mall and Club Banana trying to fill the void that Ron had left.

Kim tried to explain to Ron he needed to amp down and they need to adjust their relationship to fit their new realities. Ron was not taking what Kim was trying to explain well. The conversation didn't end well as Ron accused Kim of not caring about their friendship. Kim hurt, knew Ron didn't mean it and figured she needed to give Ron some time and space to cool down before she tried to reason with him again. Ron, immediately regretted what he said as deep down he knew it wasn't true. He didn't know what to do so he just withdrew further.

* * *

Over the next several weeks things didn't go well for either Ron or Kim. Both found it difficult to deal with their new realities. Kim was going on missions alone and she was having a difficult time of it. Failure was not something Kim was accustomed to but yet she found herself facing it. She tried to make up for her mission insecurities and rough times with Ron by involving herself in more activities. She tried to keep busy so she would have less free time to think about everything that was happening. Ron in turn, retreated further from the world. Ron and Kim were talking less frequently and when they did Kim wasn't herself as she was having trouble dealing with her new reality. When Ron pushed, Kim would put a stop to it much sooner.

Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable were extremely concerned with Ron so they contacted Kim as Ron was telling them little. After talking to Kim they were really worried about their son. They tried talking to Ron but it seemed to be going in one ear and out the other. They were about to give in about the missions hoping that would give Ron some hope back but as his relationship with Kim was going south he seemed less and less interested. They were getting desperate. They had to find something to give Ron some hope back. Ron had just recently turned 16 and like any teenager, he wanted a car. They made a deal with him if he would get his grades back up to old Ron levels and get up out of his room and in the very least try to socialize they would help him get a car.

One day Ron was sitting by himself at the local Bueno Nacho stuffing himself with nacos. No matter what the world threw at him, he could always retreat to nacos. He would have liked to have gotten the nacos to go and retreated back to his room but he promised his parents he would get out more. Sitting in Bueno Nacho counted in Ron's opinion. A boy in a wheelchair who also frequented Bueno Nacho recognized Ron as a regular in Bueno Nacho and also from some of his classes.

"Hey, didn't you recently move here? I think you're in my chemistry and American History classes." The boy extended his hand, I'm Felix Renton.

Ron shook Felix's hand. "I'm Ron Stoppable, yes I got moved here a few months back." The way Ron said it Felix knew Ron wasn't happy about leaving wherever he came from. Felix had a bag on nacos. "Mind if I join you?"

"No, not at all but let me warn you that I may not make good company."

Felix could tell Ron needed a friend so he pulled up his chair to the edge of the table and placed his bag of nacos on the table. "I see you're a fellow lover of nacos. So where did you move here from?

Ron nodded and said, "Middleton, Colorado."

"Hey we almost moved there. My mom got offered a job from the Space Center there but Lockheed Martin where she currently works counter offered her a better offer so we stayed here."

Ron sighed as he thought of back home. He still considered Middleton his home. He hand planned on moving back to Middleton after he graduated high school. He could always work at the Bueno Nacho there. He missed Kim dearly but it hurt him thinking about it as things had been rough. Felix could tell back home was a sore subject for Ron so he didn't pry any further.

While they were eating, regional Boston area Bueno Nacho manager Bill Schneider walked into the store and he immediately recognized Ron. He immediately walked up to their table and introduced himself and shook Ron's hand. "Ron Stoppable, it is a pleasure to run into you again. I don't know if you remember me. We met back at the Middleton Bueno Nacho discussing the launch of the naco. I'm Bill Schneider, regional manager of the Boston area Bueno Nachos. Bostonians love the naco. What are you doing in Boston?"

"My family moved here."

"Really, can I interest you in a job? I'm looking for a quality assurance manager to check up on the stores I manage in the area and I can't think of a better candidate than you?"

"I don't know, I'd have to talk it over with my folks."

Mr. Schneider gave Ron a business card. "Anytime you want a job, you got it. I can be flexible with the hours as I know your still in school." Mr. Schneider proceeded to the back of the restaurant.

Felix looked at Ron. "What was that all about."

"I'm the inventor of the Naco."

Felix couldn't believe it. "Get out….For real?" Ron nodded. "I love these things. It's the only thing I order here. So you worked for Bueno Nacho? How come you don't anymore?"

Ron sighed, "Yes, back in Middleton. It's a long story." Ron looked sad and looked down at the table.

"Hey Ron, don't worry about it. I don't mean to pry."

"It's ok Felix." Ron just stared at his remaining nacos.

Felix felt bad for stirring up what appeared to be sad memories. He decided to change the subject. "Ron-man, do you like playing video games." Ron nodded. "I just got Zombie Mayhem 5 and you're more than welcome to come over to my house and play.

Ron looked up at Felix. "You mean Zombie Mayhem 4? 5 isn't getting released till the new gaming system with the all new Z4 video processor and it won't be out for another 6 months.

Felix just grinned. "Yes I realize that and I actually got a testing version of both the new Nakasumi console and Zombie Mayham 5. It's still a bit buggy but very playable."

Ron's jaw dropped. "How did you manage that?"

"My mom works in advanced cyber robotics. She created this chair that I ride around in. You should see some of the neat things it can do. Anyways, Mr. Nakasumi, the founder and president of Nakasumi toys has a daughter with a rare spinal disorder and she can't walk. Mr. Nakasumi did a bunch of research which lead him to my mom. She designed for him a special chair for his daughter. He was so grateful. I met him when he was out here in Boston with his family so my Mom could custom fit the chair for his daughter. A few months back he called my Mom and asked if I wanted the new console in advance and of course I jumped on it.

Ron was actually smiling again. He loved Nakasumi toys and he loved video games. For just a few minutes he forgot about his troubles. Felix could see Ron perked up. "So how about it? Want to come over and check it out?"

"Boo-yah, that would be badical! What are we waiting for?" Ron and Felix left Bueno Nacho to head over to Felix's house. As they walked Ron turned to Felix and said, "Thanks Felix, this is the first good thing that has happened to me since I got here."

"Your welcome buddy, I'm always happy to make a new friend."


End file.
